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2020/2021

Initiation to specialized translation B-A (English-Catalan)

Code: 101346 ECTS Credits: 5
Degree Type Year Semester
2500249 Translation and Interpreting OB 3 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Ada Arbós Bo
Email:
Ada.Arbos@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

At the beginning of the course, students should be able to:

 Demonstrate that they know and understand the basic methodological principles governing translation, the basic professional and instrumental aspects and the basic contrastive problems of the language combination.

 Apply this knowledge to solving translation problems in a range of non-specialised texts with different text functions, which reflect linguistic variation and cultural references.

 Combine different areas of knowledge when taking decisions about questions related to translating a range of non-specialised texts with different text functions, which reflect linguistic variation and cultural references.

 Convey information, ideas, problems and solutions relating to translating a range of nonspecialised texts with different text functions, which reflect linguistic variation and cultural references.

Note for exchange students. Students wishing to take this course should have B2+/C1 skills in this language combination. Contact course coordinator for more specific details concerning eligibility

Objectives and Contextualisation

The purpose of this course is to develop problem-solving skills when translating basic specialised texts from a range of fields (scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal). At the end of the course, students should be able to:

 Demonstrate knowledge of the basic methodological principles governing translation, professional and instrumental aspects and the contrastive problems for this language combination.

 Apply this knowledge to solving translation problems in basic specialised scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal texts.

 Combine different areas of knowledge when taking decisions about questions related to translating basic specialised scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal texts.

 Convey information, ideas, problems and solutions relating to translating basic specialised scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal texts.

Competences

  • Applying cultural knowledge in order to translate. 
  • Learning in a strategic, independent and continuous manner.
  • Producing written texts in language A in order to translate.
  • Solving translation problems from different specialisation fields (legal, financial, scientific, technical, literary, audiovisual texts, localization).
  • Understanding written texts in a foreign language in order to translate.
  • Using documentation resources in order to translate.
  • Using technological resources in order to translate.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Applying lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge: Applying graphical, lexical, morphosyntactic, textual, rhetorical and linguistic variation related knowledge.
  2. Applying technological resources in order to solve translation problems: Applying technological resources in order to solve translation problems of scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  3. Applying technological resources of collection, preparation and analysis of information in order to translate: Applying the technological resources of collection, preparation and analysis of information in order to translate basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  4. Applying the documentation resources in order to solve translation problems: Applying the documentation resources in order to translate basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative, and legal specialised written texts.
  5. Assessing the obtained results in the information retrieval process in order to translate: Assessing the obtained results in the information retrieval process in order to translate basic scientific technical, economic, administrative, and legal specialised written texts.
  6. Comprehending the communicative purpose and sense of written texts of several fields: Comprehending the communicative purpose and sense of basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative, and legal specialised written texts.
  7. Formulating the appropriate informative needs in order to translate: Formulating the proper informational needs in order to translate basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  8. Identifying the existing (digital and analogue) information sources in order to translate: Identifying the existing (digital and analogue) information sources in order to translate basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  9. Identifying the need to mobilise cultural knowledge in order to translate: Identifying the need to mobilise cultural knowledge in order to translate basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  10. Identifying the specific translation problems of each field: Identifying the specific translation problems of each field.
  11. Implementing strategies in order to produce written texts of different fields and with specific communicative purposes: Implementing strategies in order to produce simple scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  12. Implementing strategies in order to understand written texts from different fields: Implementing strategies in order to comprehend basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  13. Implementing strategies to acquire cultural knowledge in order to translate: Implementing strategies to acquire cultural knowledge in order to translate basic scientific, technical, administrative and legal specialised written texts.
  14. Learning in a strategic, independent and continuous manner: Relating knowledge between disciplines.
  15. Learning in a strategic, independent and continuous manner: Searching for documentary evidence in order to provide more information.
  16. Students must demonstrate they know the technological resources needed to translate: Students must demonstrate they know the technological resources in order to edit basic scientific, technical, economic, administrative and legal specialised written texts.

Content

  • Methodology of specialised translation.
  • Resolution of translation problems of administrative genres, such as academic certificates, civil register documents, etc.
  • Resolution of translation problems of legal genres, such as laws, court rulings, contracts, notary documents, etc.
  • Resolution of translation problems of economic genres, such as annual account reports, financial reports, etc.
  • Solving translation problems of technical genres, such as technical press articles, dissemination papers, learning manuals, technical encyclopedia entries, technical descriptions for non-experts, user manuals, etc.
  • Resolution of translation problems of scientific genres such as scientific papers, training manuals, scientific encyclopedia entries, scientific journal papers, etc.
  • Use of the technological tools and sources of documentation acquired in the corresponding degree subjects for the translation of specialised texts.
  • Use of dictionaries, specialised glossaries and databases and parallel specialised texts.

Methodology

To achieve the established objectives, this subject involves both lectures and practical classes. Students must keep abreast of the news and information published on the Virtual Campus / Moodle. 

The work students carry out mainly consists of:

- Translation exercises 

- Translation projects 

- Exercises to be performed in class 

 - Individual/group presentations in class 

- Debates and discussions (in class or online) 

- Cooperative learning techniques

- Preparation of a portfolio 

  

Learning activities are organised into three categories based on the degree of student autonomy involved:

- Directed activities: carried out according to a set timetable and in the presence of a lecturer.

 -  Supervised activities: carried out under the supervision of a lecturer or tutor.

 -  Autonomous activities: carried out by students without supervision, requiring them to organise their own time and work (either in groups or individually).

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Specialized translation classes and specialized theoretical contents 15 0.6
Type: Supervised      
Documentation 12.75 0.51
Preparation of exercises 10 0.4
Preparation of the student portfolio 14 0.56
Preparation of translation and other tasks 32 1.28
Type: Autonomous      
Expansion of knowledge 12.5 0.5
Presentation of work done individually or in group 6 0.24
Translation tasks 16.5 0.66

Assessment

 

Continuous assessment based on the following activities:

 Real or simulated translations or tasks related to relevant aspects of translation.

 Translation project.

 Reports/debates on translations or tasks related to relevant aspects of translation.

 Diaries/notes/reports which reflect on the learning or the translation process.

 Student portfolio.

 

See section 10 of the course programme for the current year for details. These categories may vary from year to year. Definitive weightings will be specified by the instructor at the beginning of the course.

Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

 

Missed/failed assessment activities

 Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for.

 

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities.

In case of retaking, maximum grade will be 5 (Pass).

 

Classification as "not assessable"

 In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "notassessable" on their transcript.

 

Misconduct in assessment activities

 

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the students involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject.

Students may not retake assessment activities in which they are found to have engaged in misconduct. Plagiarism is considered to mean presenting all or part of an author's work, whether published in print or in digital format, as one's own, i.e. without citing it. Copying is considered to mean reproducing all or a substantial part of another student's work. In cases of copying in which it is impossible to determine which of two students has copied the work of the other, both will be penalised.

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Piece of work on administrative and legal translation 30% 2 0.08 4, 13, 15, 14, 5, 6, 10, 9, 8
Scientific and medical translation 30% 2 0.08 1, 4, 3, 2, 13, 12, 11, 15, 14, 5, 6, 16, 10, 9, 8
Student portfolio 10% 0.25 0.01 1, 12, 11, 6
Technical translation 30% 2 0.08 1, 4, 3, 2, 13, 12, 11, 15, 14, 5, 6, 16, 7, 10, 9, 8

Bibliography

Theory

Montalt, Vicent. Manual de traducció cientificotècnica. Barcelona: Eumo Editorial,  2005.

Ainaud, Jordi; Espunya, Anna; Pujol, Dídac. Manual de traducció anglès-català. Barcelona:Eumo Editorial, 2003.

 

Medicine

Enciclopèdia de Medicina i Salut. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana. 10vls.

Diccionari Enciclopèdic de Medicina. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana.

Acadèmia de Ciències Mèdiques de Catalunya i Balears. Vocabulari Mèdic. Barcelona: La Llar del Llibre, 1987.

Termcat. Diccionari d’anatomia. Barcelona: Fundació Barcelona, 1993.

Termcat Diccionari de Biologia Cel·lular. Barcelona:  Fundació Barcelona, 1994.

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. 28a ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010.

Stedman Bilingüe/ Bilingual Stedman: Diccionario De Ciencias Medicas Inglés-español, Español-inglés. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana, 2007.

 

Nature 

Biosfera. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 10 vls.

Història Natural dels Països Catalans. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 10vls.

Rull, Xavier. Diccionari del vi. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 1999.

Termcat. Diccionari de gestió ambiental. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 1997.

  

Technical dictionaries

Beigbeder Atienza, Federico. Nuevo diccionario politécnico de la lengua española y inglesa. Madrid:Ediciones Díaz de Santos, 1988, 2vls.

Diccionari visual Oxford: català, castellà, anglès, francès. Oxford University Press, Termcat, 1997.

Martí i Ferrer, Robert. Diccionari de maquinària agrícola. Barcelona: Curial, 1994

Putnam y Carlson. Diccionario de arquitectura Construcción y obras públicas. 3a ed. Madrid: Paraninfo, 1994.

Spanish Technical Dictionary/Diccionario técnico inglés. Londres i Nova York: Routledge, 1997.

Bookcase Routledge Técnico, 1998 (versió cd-rom.)

Termcat. Diccionari d’antropologia. Barcelona: Fundació Barcelona, 1993.

Garcia Petit, Lluís;  Miret i Mestre,  Josep;  Miró i Alaix, M. Teresa;   Ribé i Monge, Genís. Diccionari d’arqueologia. Barcelona: Termcat, 2002.

Termcat. Diccionari de sociologia. Barcelona: Fundació Barcelona, 1992.

Termcat. Diccionari de la informació. Noves Tecnologies i Internet. Barcelona, 2000.

Termcat.Diccionari del Trànsit. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, Termcat, 2000.

 

Legal dictionaries

Alcaraz Varó, Enrique; Hugues, Brian. Diccionario de términos jurídicos. Barcelona: Ariel, Barcelona 1997.

Diccionari jurídic català. Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 1982.

 

Online resources

Termcat

http://www.termcat.cat

 

IATE (Interactive Terminology for Europe)

http://iate.europa.eu

 

Onelook dictionaries

http://www.onelook.com

 

TermSciences 

http://www.termsciences.fr/

 

Specialized databases

Scirus

http://www.scirus.com

MEDLINEplus 

http://medlineplus.gov

 

Online journals

Nature

http://www.nature.com 

Science

http://www.sciencemag.org

Scientific American

http://www.sciam.com

Greenpeace

http://www.greenpeace.es